17 April 2013

in grounding.

i love these crisp days, when the wind lifts my hair off my face and plays with the bare space across my neck.  delighted by the earthy scents and tug of the spring, i find that my mind drifts, too much it seems in this itchy playful spring time wind. my heart, she wanders too. she lingers out into the wind and longs to fly kites in the clouds. my restless body wants nothing more than to skip out across our neighborhood and dip my toes in the cold splashing spring watered ocean.
    but that is not possible all the time, so i tug back a little, i tug back so that i can be a bit more grounded, foster a bit more sense not just in myself but in the wandering whims of my boys as well. in this spring time lull and longing, i find that digging in the dirt of my own garden and the simple act of planting seeds, seeding plants, watering and watching the slow drip of the spigot of my watering-can brings me a bit back to my senses, a bit back to the here and now: to this house i am crafting and those raucous boys i am raising. 
    our little herd of men not only love to tend to the digging in the dirt and the raising of plants, but they love to gather the outside world and bring it back home. sometimes the copious amount of sticks and weathered stones are a bit much for this tiny house; however this latest gathering of nature, these bits of shells and stone they brought back from our camping trip is just the perfect meditation on the ever-in-between space of spring. stones weathered and battered by the crushing ocean, small shells cast off by some sea creature, tiny dried bits flowers and sage. resting there on our table, we are reminded of all the old and all the new. the important weight of responsibility and the necessity to just live into the life that you are given. this small parcel of nature is the promise of all the play and exploring to be done in the coming summer; once our chores, our work, our last stretched out months of school finish up and we can round out a little more freedom in our days. 
What brings you closer to nature, even though there is so much to be done in the day-to-day. How do you stay grounded, or help your children stay grounded as the pull of spring sings from the windowsill? xxoo

20 comments:

  1. What a lovely collection of natural objects,such an original contribution to Nature in the Home. x

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    1. Thanks so much Laura! I am so glad you like it. xo

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  2. lovely collection there! i'm intrigued by the rocks with the holes... can you drop me a line (either email or message me on FB) - have an idea.

    my kids are outside every single day for the better part of the day, i do not resist the siren song of spring as summer down here is brutal and they'll never want to leave the house :(

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    1. Oh hot summer in the south must be brutal at times! Out here it is quite pleasant most days, but when we lived out East it was so hot, sticky, dripping humid all the time. Somedays we felt like we could barely move....but it still it is not quite like the heat of the deep south.

      and I will email or message you as soon as I can. xo

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  3. Your gorgeous collection of natural objects made me chuckle! When I walk my 3yr old to school and home again, we can't help but pick up rocks, feathers, twigs, leaves etc... He and I just love collecting things that we find. I need to find something or someway of displaying them for him to see xx

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    1. Hi Rebecca, so glad my little collection made you smile. To a three year old, nothing is more precious than the exact rock, stick, leaf they have found at that exact moment. xo

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  4. Love this. The top photo takes my breath away.

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  5. Your words could come from my thoughts - it must be the boy thing and our similar mindset. Spring is definitely a challenge - everyone wanting to run free and wild. I remember spring time when I was in school - it was so hard to concentrate. We also have a collection of rocks and sticks - just found a stick in our kitchen cupboard and I am pretty sure it came from Morocco and a table full of rocks on the balcony. We take photos of them to remember the adventures they brought us. As I am homeschooling right now and in the midst of moving the boys are given a little bit more freedom and our adventure last weekend was a great way to get back in touch with what we love so much (there will be a post soon) about nature.
    Chey xo

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    1. Sticks in cupboards! that is wonderful (and what a surprise!). Wee have them piling by the front door right now, the rocks are making their way onto shelves and into the backyard. I am so envious of your ability to homeschool. I know it must be tough some days, but the freedom & the flexibility to do other things seems so inviting.xo

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  6. I adore your collection - it reminds me of the special treasures I used to find in my daughters pockets after being in the park - little sticks, stones or something shiny - all things that they had found and thought important to keep to look at another day x

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    1. Children are such natural hunters and gatherers. They also have such a strong pull to remember their own story. I love it. xo

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  7. Beautiful collection! I think it's great to bring some nature indoors, to remind you to go find it outdoors. I must say, with the weather getting better, it's hard to focus and work inside when I want to enjoy the outside. This time of year I make sure to take a walk everyday to soothe that longing and also gain some perspective. xo

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    1. Yes to walks that soothe and help gain perspective. So so very important indeed~ Hope you are having a lovely week Inge! xo

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  8. What a collection of mother natures finest!!

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    1. Thanks so much! I am sure you all find lovely things all the way down in your new home! xo

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  9. I am too like you getting out in my garden helps to ground me, to make me feel more centred also my yoga and meditating each week. The collection of nature is just beautiful, it's important to immerse ourselves in those simple things to help calm down as life can be so busy and overwhelming at times. I hope that your weekend is a lovely one. x

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    1. Thanks so much Catherine! I agree wholeheartedly! I hope your week is lovely so far! xo

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hello there! I love it so when you leave a bit of a note to let me know how you are and what you are thinking. I always love to hear about the things inspiring you and moving you through your day.

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